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(NoModeL VAN SOHAIUK SHARP.

MACHINE FOR SEAMING SHEET METAL.

No. 324,736. Patented Aug. 18, 18 85.

N. PETERS mammo ram: Washlnglclv.

UNITED STATES triers,

PATENT VAN SOHAICK SHARP, OF VVEEDSPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO WALLAGE WV. HOLOOMB AND HOMER E. RHEUBOTTOM, OF

SAME PLACE.

MACHINIE FOR SEAMING SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,736, dated August 188, 1885i Application filed June 25, 1885. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom, it may concern: v

Be it known that I, VAN Scrmrcx SHARP, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVeedsport, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Forming Gross- Lock Seams in Metal Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and accurately-working machine for securely locking the cross seams of connected sheets of tin or other similar metal intended for roofing or other purposes.

The machine illustrated in the annexed drawings embraces a suitable stand on which is mounted abedplate with vertieallyslotted heads arranged at each end and provided with guides or gages for aligning the seam to be locked, the closing of the seam being effected by the pressure of a roller that moves forward and back over the bed-plate and seam and beneath a vertically-adjustable bar supported in said heads, and by which the pressure of said roller is controlled. The connected sheets in succession, with securelylocked joints or seams, are wound in a continuous strip on a reel provided for the purpose, and from which they are removed when the strip attains suffi' cient length.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying my invention for forming cross-lock seams in metallic strips 01' sheets for roofing and other purposes. Fig. 2 is an end view, partly in transverse section and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views.

The reference-numeral 1 designates a suit able stand or table having legs 2 or other convenient supports. On this stand or table 1 is mounted a cast-metal. bed-plate, 3, having at each end an upright malleable iron head, 4, said upright heads being vertically slotted and secured firmly to the top of the table by screwbolts or otherwise. In the upper part of these vertically-slotted upright heads 4 is adjusta bly supported a horizontal longitudinallyslotted pressure-bar, 5, by means of adjustingscrew's 6,passed through the sides of the slotted heads, as shown in Fig. 2, and by which said pressure-bar can be held at any height, as required.

A roller, 7, is journaled in the bifurcated or slotted end of a reciprocating arm, 8, in such a manner as to be capable of moving along and over the bed-plate 3 from end to end, and with its upper portion rotating within. the slotted malleable iron bar 5, which thus serves as a guide for the roller. On each side of the roller 7 is a smaller roller or roller-surface, 9, that fits beneath the adjacent side of the slotted bar 5, to give greater ease of motion to the larger or main pressureroller 7, which can thus be made to exert a greater or less degree of pressure by simply varying the vertical adjustment of the slotted bar. After this slotted bar has been adjusted to the required height it can be firmly held from any tendency to vertical displacement due to the upward pressure of the roller by means of a binding-screw, 6, at each end, these screws being turned down vertically upon the ends of the slotted bar 5, so as to hold it securely in place.

The bed-plate 3 is provided on one side with gages 10, by which the seamed portions of the metallic sheets or strips to be united are aligned and held in place while the seam is being securely locked by the pressure of the roller.

In order to avoid any difficulty in starting the roller 7, and for the purpose of overcom ing the obstructions that would be encountered by its abrupt pressure against the edges of the metal strips or sheets at the ends of the seam to be acted on, a yielding guide, 11, is arranged near one end of the bed-plate in such position as to partly cover the abrupt end of the seam, and so allow the roller to pass smoothly onto the sheet of tin or other material. expansion-spring, 12, that holds the guide to close contact with the edge of the scam inserted beneath its opposite end. The pressure of the roller 7 in its return movement compresses this spring, thereby depressing that end of the guide and raising the opposite end, so that another seam can be inserted thereunder. It will be seen that this guide is thus so arranged as to offer no obstruction Beneath one end of this guide is a small TOT) to the free passage of theroller in either direction.

The roller 7 is actuated through the reciprocating arm or rod 8, which is hinged at its outer end to the upper extremity of an oscillating rod or lever, 13, that is pivoted at or below its center to a bracket, 14:, projecting from one end of the machineframe, and stayed by braces 15, secured to the upper part of the frame. The lower end of the rod or lever 13 is hinged or jointed to one end of a lever, 16, the opposite end of which is jointed to or hinged into one end of a rod or lever, 17, which is pivotally connected at its other end to a transverse rod, 18, that is secured within one end of the machine-frame, and braced by stay-rods 19, that extend diagonally to the opposite end of the frame. The rod or lever 17 is connected by a depending link or short connecting-bar, 20, to a foot-treadle, 21, the inner end of which may be pivoted between the lower ends of the vertical brace-bars 22, that are arranged at one end of the machineframe. To the treadle 21 is also attached a spiral spring, 23, the upper end of which is connected to one end of the stand or table.

A reel, 24, is journaled in bearings 25 at one side of the machine, preferably above the level of the bed-plate, and is provided with a crank-handle, 26, a ratchet, 27, and a pawl, 28, for the purpose of forming the connected sheets of tin or other metal into a convenient roll for transportation.

In operating the machine two sheets of tin or other metal to be connected are arranged with their edges properly turned and hooked together, the turned edges being then placed against the gages 10 on the bed-plate and subjected to the pressure of the roller 7, actuated by the treadle 21 and its connections. By pressure on the treadle 21 the rods or levers 8, 13, 16, and 17 will be actuated through the link 20 in such a manner as to cause the roller 7 to be passed forward over the adjacent engaged edges of the metal sheets, and by releasing the treadle it will be drawn up by the spring 23, thereby reversing the movement of said lever-rods, so as to draw the roller7 backward over the seam, which is thus securely locked. After one lockseam is thus formed another sheet of metal with turned-over edge is engaged with the turned-over edge at the free end of one of the sheets just acted on, and the operation repeated, as above described, the successive sheets of connected metal being wound on the reel 24 as the operation progresses. It will be seen that both movements of the pressure-roller 7, forward at any time during the progress of the work,

so as to regulate the pressure of the roller 7,

by removing the latter from its bearings.

or for the purpose of accommodating scams or sheets of varying thickness.

After successive sheets of metal have been connected, locked together with cross-seams, and rolled onto the reel until the desired length is obtained, the long sheet thus formed and rolled can be readily slipped off the reel This manner of cross-seaming the sheets of tin or other metal allows a great saving in solder, as the seams may be safely left without soldering when the connected sheets arev used for roofing and other purposes; or, if the employment of some solder is preferred, a much less quantity is required than is necessary with hand-locked cross-seams. By this machine, also, the work of forming cross-lock seams in connected sheets of tin or similar metal can be accomplished with great rapidity and accuracy as compared with hand-work or the use of ordinary appliances.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a machine for connecting metal sheets with lock joints, the combination of abedplate, verticallyslotted heads, a longitudinally-slotted bar arranged above and parallel with the bed-plate, and vertically adjustable at each end within said slotted heads, and a roller arranged to travel along the bed'plate within the slot and under the pressure of said bar and over the seam or joint to be locked, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a bed-plate having gages for aligning the work, vertically-slotted heads arranged at the opposite ends of said bed-plate, a longitudinally-slotted horizontal bar vertically adjustable in said slotted heads, and a pressure-roller arranged to be moved forward and back along the bed-plate and beneath and within the horizontal slotted bar, whereby a lock joint or seam in two connected sheets of metal is formed by the pressure ofsaid roller, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a bed-plate having a yielding guide, a roller arranged to move forward and back over said guide and bed-plate and over the work lying thereon, and a vertically adjustable bar to vary the pressure of the roller and enable it to accommodate itself to varying thicknesses of material acted upon, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a bed-plate, a pressure-roller arranged to move forward and back over said bed-plate and over the work supported thereon, said pressure-roller being provided with side rollers, 9, of smaller diameter, and a vertically adjustable slotted bar arranged parallel with and above the bed-plate, and arranged to bear on the small rollers on each side of the pressure-roller to regulate the pressure of the latter, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the bed-plate 3, having gages 10 and yielding guide 11, the slotted heads 4, adjustable pressure-bar 5, reciprocating lever 8, pressure roller 7, journaled in one end of said, reciprocating lever, and In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in 10 provided with side rollers, 9, and means for presence of two witnesses. actuating said lever,substantia1ly as described. a

6. The combination of the table 1, bed-plate VAN SOHAIGK SHARP. 5 3, vertically-adjustable slotted bar 5, roller 7,

moving within the slot of the pressurebar, Witnesses: and having side rollers, 9, the reciprocating CHAS. KENYON, lever 8, rods or levers 13 16 17, treadle 21, link STANLEY G. ALLEN,

20, and spring 23, substantially as described. 

